Cary,
It is a view that can only be held by one with diminished mental capacity.
Many who know me personally probably would not argue this:-)
However, looking at the patterns of smoking in and of themselves, one cannot maintain that cigarettes are a causal factor in cancers, when done in moderation. How many people who smoke are genetically predisposed to cancer before they take their first puff? We may never know the number, but be sure it is significant. Over the decades, the use of pesticides and other environmental pollutants have dramatically reduced sperm count in men. If these affect one part of us, why not another? Could not these help cause cancer much the same as they have reduced sperm counts? Again, the specific number may never be known.
It is all too easy to look for an easy out, a scapegoat so to speak. Point the finger at the tobacco companies and forget the environmental issues, genetic predispositions, and harm done by excessive smoking. If anyone is guilty of "diminished mental capacity," I believe it is someone who has not taken these factors, along with others, into consideration.
BTW, what exactly did you disagree with in my original post? I said in moderation, nearly anything is fine. I never claimed that cigartees do not cause cancer when done in excess.
BK |
